What makes a prodigy? Although child prodigies can be found in various disciplines such as music, mathematics, chess, and art, the origins of exceptional has long been controversial. Some have dismissed the notion of innate talent, arguing that prodigies benefit from strong parental, cultural, and environmental influences that helped them develop their extraordinary abilities. Others emphasize the role of genes supported by inborn predispositions. And what role do cognitive processes, from memory to the use of imagery and language, play in such rapid and early talent development? The notion of prodigy reaches to the heart of questions about creativity, intelligence, development, and the relationship between nature and nurture. This ground-breaking book presents the first scientific exploration of musical prodigies, bringing together research from psychology, neurobiology, genetics, education, musicology, and ethnomusicology, to provide a thorough exploration of prodigious talent. With fascinating case studies of prodigies and their often complex transitions into adolescence and adulthood, this is a unique investigation of a remarkable phenomenon, for anyone interested in child development, music, and the arts. --Cover.

This is a celebration of the remarkable lives of forty-four musical prodigies from the eighteenth century to the present. With a profound appreciation for their gifts, Claude Kenneson tells the amazing stories of Mozart and Paganini, Andres Segovia and Samuel Barber, Van Cliburn and Ruggiero Ricci, Shauna Rolston and Yo-Yo Ma, to name a few. The author has nurtured several prodigies among his own cello students and brings a teacher's sensitivity to these accounts of many a perilous journey to maturity. He explores early family life, first teachers, the importance of peers, and the inevitable struggles for independence and acceptance as an adult musician. Parents and families of gifted children in all the arts will welcome this book. Young musicians will find companionship, reassurance, and insight into their own lives. And for all who have the opportunity to guide prodigious gifts, Kenneson has created an invaluable resource.

Ann Hulbert’s in-depth exploration of the lives of sixteen extraordinary children over the course of the past century casts new light on America’s current obsession with early achievement. The figures she profiles include math genius Norbert Wiener, founder of cybernetics; two girls whose fiction and poetry stirred debate in the 1920s; the movie superstar Shirley Temple; the African-American pianist and composer Philippa Schuyler; the chess champion Bobby Fischer; computer pioneers and “prodigious savants” with autism; and musical prodigies, present and past. Hulbert probes the changing roles of parents and teachers as well as of psychologists and a curious press. Above all, she delves into the feelings of the prodigies themselves, whose stories so intriguingly raise hopes about untapped human potential and questions about how best to nurture it.

A Most Fascinating Journey! It has long been recognized that there are only three major areas of human endeavor which produce prodigies: music, chess and mathematics. This does not occur by happenstance. There are links on many levels. Now, for the first time, Music and Chess – Apollo Meets Caissa examines the yet unexplored relation of chess to music. Mathematics is a main common denominator, a fact that is highlighted accordingly. The thesis of this extraordinarily researched book is that chess is art in itself. It can create art and is strongly related to mathematics and music. As becomes clear, this relationship has already been introduced by some legendary players such as Mikhail Tal and Vladimir Kramnik . Great artists such as John Cage, Marcel Duchamp and Arnold Schönberg, to name but a few, have also been fascinated by the very same idea. Surprisingly, this has not been explored in detail so far – only some sporadic articles exist, by authors specializing in either music or chess. There are chapters that address issues which are specialized in chess and music, while others cover related issues of general, social and artistic nature. Music and Chess – Apollo Meets Caissa can be appreciated by readers who have a good, general, though non-specific background, in both fields. That is, no technical knowledge of music is required, with the only prerequisite to fully appreciate the text being the understanding of standard chess rules. The text could be equally enlightening to students of music or mathematics, as an added intellectual insight into these two disciplines. The text is supplemented by many chess diagrams, charts, and over 50 full-color images. So, turn on the music, set up chessboard, get out the calculator and let the author take you on a most fascinating journey that is Music and Chess – Apollo Meets Caissa.

First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.